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5.0

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,915 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Chevrolet Volt electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 Chevrolet Volt Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Jan 022023

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

my forward proximity sensors would randomly trigger. One day my ambient air temperature went haywire, checked for codes and had high voltage reading ambient air, brake booster trouble. after further investigation found that the X100(female) connector had water intrusion causing shorts across the pins showing voltage to drop across other pins further sending false or incorrect signals to the computer. the connector was thoroughly cleaned and aired out. now wrapped intensively with a lot of electrical tape in hopes to prevent water from getting in and causing voltage that range from 5v-14v from shorting across terminals and causing false activation.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #30

Nov 122022

Volt

  • miles
vehicle suddenly stopped while driving, engine light came on and on board charging system maintenance showed on dash display, I was able to restart it and take to the dealer for diagnosis they said that the BECM needs replacement at the cost of $2500 and that it is common on this vehicle, this issue is a safety problem GM has issued a TBS for this defect recognizing it as an existing defect, this would cause a tragedy if it occurs while driving a on the highway, since the car would loose power and could cause a catastrophic accident. the cost of the repair for a known defective part is unfair to the consumer and should be the manufacturer responsibility to bear the cost for safety.

- Yorba Linda, CA, USA

problem #29

Sep 262022

Volt

  • miles
While on a road trip, we were traveling on a rural highway at roughly 55 mph. We received a warning message on the dashboard stating that "Propulsion power was reduced" and the engine began running rough, with surging noticeable based on throttle position. We also noted that engine temperature was rising above what was typical for the vehicle. The vehicle was able to maintain highway speed, and we were able to limp the vehicle to a safe location. Based on a web search, we were able to diagnose the issue (a failed EGR valve) as well as a way to limp the vehicle to a local dealership. They made a change that allowed us to limp home safely (unplug the EGR valve's electrical connector and replace the blown fuse under the hood). The vehicle was taken to a Chevy dealership when we made it home. The failure we had diagnosed was confirmed, and the component was replaced. The repair was not covered under warranty, and cost a significant sum to repair (1139.91). Additionally, this appears to be a very, very common failure for this make and model of vehicle- to the point where there is so much demand for this repair to be performed that these components (the EGR valve specifically) are difficult to obtain from Chevy. Additionally, the failure mode is such that when the EGR valve fails, it pulls excessive currents, and blows a fuse that also controls a number of important engine cooling components, leaving engine cooling significantly compromised. If we had been going faster, or if the weather was warmer, or if the load inside the vehicle was heavier, it would have been easy to overheat the gas engine and leave us stranded. I am concerned about the incidence rate of the failure, (based on online reports) the relative small number of miles on the vehicle when the failure occurred, (~57k) and the possible knock-on effect of the failure of the gas engine's ability to cool itself due to a relatively unrelated failure.

- Lakewood, OH, USA

problem #28

Sep 122022

Volt

  • 160,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the battery level indicator was fluctuating up and down and then the instrument panel went blank. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. A case was filed. The failure mileage was 160,800.

- Pagosa Springs, CO, USA

problem #27

Apr 122022

Volt

  • miles
Action Required Shift to Park message comes up on the dash after starting the vehicle & shifting into gear out of Park. The message goes away when shifted back into Park, but the vehicle doesn't respond when shifted into gear. Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low - none will engage. I had to repeat the process of starting the vehicle 28 times before it would operate as it should. Start Vehicle to View Application message comes up when in Park & trying to shut the vehicle off & will not power down until the driver door is opened. I worried that I'd be stranded if this continued to happen & took the vehicle to Brad Deery Motors in Maquoketa, IA for repair on 4/14/22. I paid $736.71 & the invoice states: 106128 shift to park, diag, intermittent open in the shift park solenoid, replaced shift park solenoid and jumper harness, tested working properly. I brought the vehicle home & had the same messages appear on 4/19/22. I have since read a forum on the Volt & understand that this has been a common issue & found a service bulletin: 19-NA-206, but wondering if there is an actual recall. I plan to contact GM regarding this issue.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #26

Apr 142022

Volt

  • miles
Action Required Shift to Park message comes up on the dash after starting the vehicle & shifting into gear out of Park. The message goes away when shifted back into Park, but the vehicle doesn't respond when shifted into gear. Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Low - none will engage. I had to repeat the process of starting the vehicle 28 times before it would operate as it should. Start Vehicle to View Application message comes up when in Park & trying to shut the vehicle off & will not power down until the driver door is opened. I worried that I'd be stranded if this continued to happen & took the vehicle to Brad Deery Motors in Maquoketa, IA for repair on 4/14/22. I paid $736.71 & the invoice states: 106128 shift to park, diag, intermittent open in the shift park solenoid, replaced shift park solenoid and jumper harness, tested working properly. I brought the vehicle home & had the same messages appear on 4/19/22. I have since read a forum on the Volt & understand that this has been a common issue & found a service bulletin: 19-NA-206, but wondering if there is an actual recall. I plan to contact GM regarding this issue.

- Davenport, IA, USA

problem #25

Jan 132022

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2016 volt bought from NYC and I am the first owner currently residing in TX. My volt currently has mileage of 30,020 but this propulsion power will be reduce error has been shown since last 100 miles or so, my commune is usually under 5 miles a day so I rarely use gas however recently due to work I have to commune pretty far for a week and relied more on gas and this error popup during on of the commune. (It slowed my car down significantly while on highway and eventually stop with message on the console says engine offline) With the following error codes found: P0031 P0054 P0030 P0135 P0403 P0405 P0443 P0458 P0489 P0597 P0598 P06DA P06DB P0AC4 P0030 This car barely has much gas mileages as it was primarily on electric, but this failure on highway comes suddenly.

- Richardson, TX, USA

problem #24

Nov 152021

Volt

  • miles
There is a -€œShift to park-€ message on the driver information screen when attempting to shut off vehicle. I don-€™t know if the vehicle is still in gear and will move (forward or back) when I think it is in Park. I have not had it in for inspection/repair yet, as it is a recent occurrence that is becoming increasingly frequent. This started happening around 11/15/2021.

- Hillsboro, OR, USA

problem #23

Oct 312021

Volt

  • miles
Vehicle shift to park warning, does not go in reverse or forward, shifter moves but it does not detect is in park mode, therefore it doesn't reset battery status or able to drive in forward or reverse.

- Bellefontsine, OH, USA

problem #22

Jul 012021

Volt

  • miles
When parking vehicle a "Shift To Park" error appears on the dash and vehicle will not turn off for some time. This is an intermittent issue that seems to be getting more frequent as time goes on. Vehicle can be stolen if issue is unnoticed.

- Washington , NJ, USA

problem #21

Jul 212021

Volt

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Any time that the vehicle is turned off, a warning message displays on the HUD saying "Action Required: Shift to Park". This occurs whenever the vehicle is turned off, despite the gearshift already being in Park.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #20

May 012021

Volt

  • miles
1. an error appears "shift to park" when parking. The car does not recognize that it is shifted to park thus it continues to run even when positioned on park. A running vehicle that cannot be turned off and can run on gas is a considerable hazard. This is an extremely common issue with the 2016 Volt.

- Valencia, CA, USA

problem #19

May 062021

Volt

  • 22,000 miles
Get "shift to park" error when trying to shut off ignition. Shift lever is in park but not recognized by cars electronics or switches or? this prevents car from being shut off -this is more than just an irritant. When you are stopped somewhere and can't turn off your ignition, you are in a really serious predicament! GM has had this problem on many electronic hybrids since 2016 models and will not or cannot fix! one google of Chevy Volt "shift to park" will show hundreds of complaints (many to your dept.) and no help in forcing GM to resove problem !

- Visalia, CA, USA

problem #18

Oct 012019

Volt

  • 46,000 miles
When I put the car in park and try to turn it off, I frequently get an error on the gauge display that says "action required, shift to park." This is very frustrating. When this error happens, I'm unable to power off the car or lock the doors. I turn the car back on, jiggle the shifter or move it into drive and back to park, and then try turning the car off again. Sometimes I have to go through this process 5 or more times before the car will power down. This error happens about half the time that I use my car, which makes it a daily problem. I bought the car used in Oct 2019, and the previous owner also had the problem but I don't know when it started for him.

- Culver City, CA, USA

problem #17

Mar 252021

Volt

  • miles
Getting the "action needed shift to park" warning intermittently when parked and attempting to turn off car to exit. Unable to shut down vehicle when occurs.

- Hebron, KY, USA

problem #16

Jul 012020

Volt

  • 45,558 miles
The vehicle issues a message to move the gear shifter into park (shift to park) message even when it is already in park. The vehicle will not engage nor will it enable the driver to turn the vehicle off which results in unsafe driving circumstances and strands the drive in untenable situations. This is known in social media as the "shift-to-park" problem with Volt and other GM vehicles while GM is hush-hush about the issue. There absolutely needs to be a recall issued for all affected vehicles as this is clearly a manufacturer design issue given all of the problems drivers are having. It starts as an intermittent problem and continues to get worse over time with out any warning.

- Saratoga, CA, USA

problem #15

Sep 292019

Volt

  • 14,500 miles
When the driver attempts to power down the car, the driver receives an error that the car must be shifted to park before turning off even though the car is in park. As a result the car may not be turned off. Repeated attempts and "playing" with the shifter may or may not resolve the problem.

- Pennington, NJ, USA

problem #14

Sep 012019

Volt

  • miles
My electric car would not turn off and I received the error message "action required: Shift to park" on the driver display. I would have to play with the gear selector multiple times sometimes it would take 20 minutes just to turn the vehicle off. Visiting other forums, this is a common issue as it is dangerous to be stranded not being able to turn off your car.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #13

Jan 082020

Volt

  • miles
When putting shifter to park, the action required messages is shown as: 'shift to park' issue. The car will effectively not turn off. You'll be unable to lock the car and the lights will stay on for a few minutes. Worse yet, it is intermittent although it generally gets worse over time.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #12

Jan 172020

Volt

  • 40,000 miles
This is an update to my original complaint #:11299056 for un-commanded acceleration on 1/13/2020. The Chevy dealership worked with GM corporate engineers and were unable to duplicate the problem after several days. The returned the car and blamed it on the floor mat. This is not likely since the mat is a oem heavy rubber mat and the accelerator pedal does not rest on the floor board. Since the car was returned and driving for weeks, I noticed the battery range will not charge more than 49 miles of electrical charge when it often charged up into the 50-60 mile range prior to the incident. I've been driving the car in slower heavy traffic lately and this driving style often increases electric mileage range after a full nights charge. It will not do so anymore even though the economy management screen indicate maximum range economy of over 250 mpg. I'm a retired gas turbine mechanic and I know a problem when I experience one. I suspect that a battery cell may have had an uncontrolled discharge and is no longer able to accept a recharge. I have relayed this information to the dealer. No response yet.

- Bonita, CA, USA

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